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Procedures for abuse complaints explained
MONTEREY - This week's change of teachers at Highland Preschool has prompted a lot of questions from parents, and superintendent Gary Blair says much of the situation simply cannot be disclosed publicly in order to protect the privacy of all involved.
He did, however, explain the process involved when parents raise concerns about how their children are treated in school.
If parents accuse a teacher of abuse, he said, the schools take their concerns seriously, but must follow protocols for investigating such allegations.
Principals, not Blair, may call Child Protective Services, which conducts and independent investigation of the complaint. "And then, we do our own investigation as well," Blair said. "If there is enough evidence, we take action."
But what constitutes enough evidence is hard to define. Blair says there needs to be corroboration, with other witnesses. "This is all done very discretely and confidentially," he added, saying administrators cannot automatically take one complaint as enough basis to fire a teacher. "We never take these complaints lightly," he stressed. "I've worked with CPS for a lot of years É we look at the teacher's record. We ask, is there a pattern here? What are the surrounding circumstances? Teaching is a touching job, but these days; it's never acceptable to touch a child in some ways, even for a hug.
"It's all systematic," he continued. "If CPS says it's not a founded case, we go from there. But that doesn't mean nothing is done.
"There's a big difference between legal and illegal, appropriate and inappropriate. When you take action, and (staff) is still here, it doesn't necessarily mean I didn't do anything. The sad part is, you want to believe your children. So then we look - if a lot of kids are saying the same thing, then you do something with the teacher."
Blair said there are times when what a teacher does is unintentional, but still unacceptable. "It's complex, but sometimes accusations are not substantiated É and everybody has rights. We will not tolerate abuse. But abuse versus inappropriate touching, like grabbing kids to lead them to their chair, is different. Things are not always as they seem, and we can't judge intent."
Often, if a teacher is accused of inappropriately handling children, Blair says they tend to overreact at first, and vow to never come near a child. "What you have then," he said, "is teachers who are sensitized. Then it hurts the disciplinary tactics."
CPS, as an independent investigator, has its own rules and regulations, Blair said, and the organization does not always investigate every circumstance.
"It's amazing what children will say sometimes, but there are procedures we follow. Does CPS get called every time? Probably not."
Blair said he realizes his actions are not always understood by parents, and for reasons of confidentiality, he cannot always explain what he has done in these situations. Sometimes there just isn't enough evidence to prove wrongdoing," he said. "I have to make sure what I do sticks."
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